Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #24Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #24
Title: “Dear Betty…”
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Penciller: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colors: Avalon Studio’s Arsia Rozegar
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Bruce Banner sits at a computer holding a picture of Betty in one hand. He writes that this letter to her was Samson’s idea. He says that it is supposed to be about him and that the best place to start about him is his childhood.
Bruce says that he has very few memories about actual childhood things, but that he remembers a lot about his parents. He recalls his mother’s beauty and the time when she sat by his side all night when he had bronchitis. Bruce says that with his father the memories are mostly screaming and crying. Bruce says he thinks that is why he became such a solitary person. He threw himself into his books. Bruce says that as he grew he just traded up for books about quantum physics. Bruce writes that he remembers when he met Betty. He remembers thinking that Betty was as beautiful and serene as his mother was. Bruce says that while they were married that he would wake up and look over at her while she slept. He thinks about how lucky he was to have her, and then Betty died. Bruce says that any other husband would get to imagine that he would one day join her in the afterlife, but even though he is dying of ALS that he won’t get to pass on because he will remained trapped within the body of the Hulk. Bruce says that now he wakes up and looks to make sure that Betty is still there, and when she isn’t there he tries to remember her smells and sounds and cannot.
Emil Blonsky stands shrouded in a cloak. He is looking out the window as he listens to one of his writing students reading his work to him. Two of the older ladies in the class are whispering to each other that they heard he has some rare form of skin cancer. Emil tells his student to stop reading. The student asks if something is wrong. He says that he changed Mickey into a detective from a race car driver. Emil apologizes and says that he should have been more specific with his instructions. Emil says that he meant for them to write about something they know. He says that when they draw on their own experiences that they aren’t simply recreating their favorite police shows. Emil says that to write a love story that the author must have known love. Emil tells them all the story of a spy. He says that the spy’s sense of duty overcomes his sense of honor. He says that the man left his wife behind and went to a foreign land to steal their magic. There was an accident with the magic and the spy was turned into a monster. Angered and confused the monster finds the magician responsible for his transformation. They fight but the fight ends unsatisfactorily because neither is strong enough to kill the other. The monster’s wife thinks that her husband is dead and mourns him. The spy realizes that he can never go home and that he has lost everything. Rather than endure this torture alone the spy kills the magician’s wife. The magician forgives him because he knows that it is the one thing that the spy could not endure. He says that the spy now tries to lose himself. He realizes that the hatred he feels for his enemy is merely hatred for himself turned outward. Each night the monster falls to sleep at the bottom of the ocean. The class is moved by the story and some of the women are crying. One asks if the man every sees his wife again. Emil says, “No. Happy endings are for lazy writers.” Emil dismisses the class.
Samson and Bruce sit down to have a session together. Samson said that he wrote what Bruce read after their last session and it isn’t too many men who would draw a direct comparison between his mother and his wife. Samson says that Bruce’s writing seems to indicate that he is asking questions rather than supplying answers. Samson asks if there is anything Bruce wants to know. Bruce says that he wants to know why Samson lied to him about becoming a merged version of himself when all the time it was someone else all along. Samson says that he had no choice. He says that Bruce was falling apart and that he was about to unleash a ton of rage on the world. Samson says that he fully expected that the real Bruce Banner would regain control, but it just never happened. Samson says that he meant to offer Bruce an alternative, not to deceive him. Bruce says that now that he is himself again he finds that he has a problem regarding Betty. Bruce says that Abomination killed Betty, and that the Professor heard his confession and decided to forgive him. Bruce says that he thought he was doing the forgiving, but as it turns out it was really just an incarnation that forgave Emil. Bruce says that he was never given a chance to come to terms with Betty’s murder.
Emil stands in the rain and puts a coin in the phone. A man on the other end calls out to Nadia. Nadia picks up the phone and asks who is calling. Abomination is silent on the other end. Nadia says, “this is you again, isn’t it?” Nadia says that she is having the number changed and that if he calls again that she is going to have the call traced and have him arrested. She says, “Do you hear me you monster?” She slams the phone down. Emil walks away in the rain.
Bruce Banner sits outside in the snow. He
coughs into hands. He looks inside the window to see Angela
snuggling up to Samson on the couch inside. General Ross says
hello to Banner. Banner doesn’t turn around but just says, 
“Hello
General. I knew you would make your way here eventually.”
Ross says that Bruce probably thinks that he is there to arrest
him, but that he is going to be surprised. Ross says that he has
never hidden his feelings that Bruce was wrong for his daughter,
and that her death only proved him right. Ross says that all his
anger was directed at Bruce and that was wrong. Ross says that he
needs to forgive Banner and to ask his forgiveness in return.
Ross says that working together however he thinks that they can
bring the real killer to justice. Bruce says that he isn’t
interested. He says that he has come to terms with it, and that
if Ross wants Blonsky that he should go find him himself. Ross
says that there is something Bruce needs to see.
Abomination thinks about the letter that he
has written to Nadia. He writes that he wants her to understand
where he has been, why he never returned to her, and why he
allowed her to think that he was dead. Emil says that he had been
disfigured and transformed into a beast. Emil says that he is
supposed to be a storyteller and yet he can’t find the words
for the cancer that festers in his heart. Emil says that his
greatest wish is to see her again, and to have her love him again
despite his outward appearance. He says that wishes are for those
that stand a chance of having them come true. He says that she is
better off thinking him dead. He says that he wishes he could
make her understand why he stays away, he wishes he could see her
again, and he wishes that he were going to send her the letter. 
Emil walks into
the water to sleep.
Ross is giving Bruce a tour of the facility where they track Abomination. He says that Ryker left a lot of the equipment to them. Bruce asks that if Ross knows where Emil is why does he need him. Ross says to let him finish. Ross says that Blonsky is running a writing class in a New Hampshire library. He says that one of his operatives has infiltrated the class and is monitoring the situation. Bruce asks again what Ross wants him to do about it. Ross says that he hasn’t been entirely honest with Bruce. He says that there is something he needs to show him. Ross says that he never meant to hide this from Bruce. Ross opens a door and Bruce sees Betty’s body lying in a stasis tube. He asks Ross if she is alive. Ross says that he is sorry, but she is dead. He says that he is keeping her in stasis just in case they ever figure out how to help her. Bruce collapses and asks why Ross didn’t tell him. Ross says that it wasn’t Bruce’s fault. He says that Blonsky took her from them both, and that it is time to bring him to justice. Bruce says, “No, I… I’ll kill him.” Ross watches as Bruce Banner turns into the Savage Hulk. Hulk shouts, “Big monster hurt Bettee! Hulk will smash big monster!” Hulk leaps out of the facility. Ross looks down at Betty and says that he promises that they are going to make “the bastard pay for what he did” a thousand times over.
No Excuses rating: 9 out of 10
The writing gets a perfect score. Now understand that I’m not saying this is one of the greatest issues of the Hulk ever- all I’m saying is that I don’t see how this issue could have been written any better. Fantastic emotion and great characterization. This is a set up issue for next issue’s fight, but it is done just perfectly. We understand exactly how much hatred each of these men feel for each other. Romita has a great opening issue. My only real critique is that I would really rather see some shorts on Emil. I mean monster or not I would tend to think that Abomination had genitals.
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